I’ve never been one to identify with others when they discount newer games and movies in favor of older releases. However, I have to admit I am on that side of the fence as well when it comes to certain games – especially fighting games. There’s just something about having to practice for hours on end to even become proficient with characters and their combos that I respect. While one series has managed to keep its integrity and difficulty, the same can hardly be said for others. Thankfully, the digital market has made it possible for one of the hardest 2D fighters ever, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, to become accessible again.

2012 was a year about a lot of things, like (terrible) end of world predictions, the discovery of the Higgs-Boson, and Mars rover landings. But it was mainly about video games, and not just video games, but good video games, because the worst kind of video game is a bad video game. And those aren’t nice. Here are some that are.

When browsing deals online, I’ll surely find a pair of Skullcandy earphones periodically. On my first impression, I always thought that they were meant for aesthetics, rather than performance. I’ve always been one to favor performance over aesthetics. Fancy my interest when I saw that Skullcandy would be releasing a wireless gaming headset that would be compatible across the board for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Needless to say, I was ecstatic that a headset would finally be able to follow me as I game away with the modern wireless gaming controller.

As 2012 comes to a close, we look back at the games released this year. While everyone wants to point out the obvious “best games,” there are others that stand out this year and deserve recognition. Here are the five highlights of the year for me, even if they aren’t the epic, Hollywood production titles everyone looked forward to all year.

Square-Enix’s acquisition of Eidos was a strange one that called into question the future of several franchises, including Hitman. But after six years and almost an entire console generation, IO Interactive continues the venerable stealth-action series with Hitman: Absolution, a follow-up to 2006’s Blood Money.

Over a decade ago, Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima stepped out of the stealth action genre and into the action adventure genre, creating the Zone of the Enders, one of the most genuine mecha experiences in gaming. As time passed, though other games have become dated, both in their design and technical prowess. Kojima’s other titles in the Metal Gear series have held their own well, but that only begs the question of how well Zone of the Enders would do after a full decade.

The Tekken series has consistently been one of the top 3D fighters for both arcades and the consoles it has graced. Though it has improved and become deeper over its seven game life span so far, fans have been hungry for another return to the dual character madness of the Tekken Tag Tournament spinoff. Luckily, Namco Bandai has brought out the spinoff once more, throwing in the gameplay systems from Tekken 6 and adding more than just a simple tag function to the title, to make one of the most complex 3D fighters on the market.

There’s always been an issue with taking the Dead or Alive series seriously as a competitive title, mostly due to the gratuitous amount of fan service and ease of holds, rarely giving it multiple appearances at serious tournament circuits like the Evolution Fighting Game Championships. In recent years with an explosive fighting game boom, every company has been trying to create quality fighters that appeal to both the casual and hardcore base. Tecmo Koei’s Team Ninja is no exception and has certainly put up a fight for Dead or Alive 5.

Known for its franchise titles Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, Arc System Works has become a premier fighting game developer in the face of long established 2D developers like Capcom and SNK. Hopes were high when the company was first commissioned to make Capcom’s Sengoku Basara X, showing that even the fighting game giant has recognized the developer’s talents, but the title would soon prove to only be a hit at niche fighting game tournaments. However, with the recent fighting game genre explosion, every game is held to a higher scrutiny, including the Atlus commissioned Persona 4 Arena by Arc System Works.

Even with the series’ third iteration, the Record of Agarest War series has been sold using sexuality. However, despite its relative obscurity at the time, the series has since built up quite a following and reputation for being a legitimate RPG series. With another game in the series released, Record of Agarest War 2 has been released amongst a sea of other strategy RPG titles. The question will always remain if the series and its promises of virtual love and offsprings can win out against the competitors.